The New Normal

Our world (and I mean everyone's) has been turned upside down in the last three weeks. For some the corona virus is life threatening. I'm thinking of elderly people, those with underlying conditions, those who are homeless and the 70 million displaced persons living in camps. But even for those of us who are reasonably safe, the situation has its challenges. What we once didn't even think about now seems precious. Like going to the grocery store. Like going anywhere. Like giving and receiving hugs. What we have instead are grocery deliveries (if one is lucky), virtual meetings with friends, and virtual choral rehearsals. All are great and much better than nothing, but truly, these "support services" don't quite do it. And now we are under lock down. The governor is no longer suggesting we shelter in place except for essential errands. It is now required. On the positive side, people are reaching out to others as they can. Musical offerings by amateurs and professionals on line have been uplifting. I especially liked the 12-year-old twin boys in Italy playing an enthusiastic rendition of "Viva la Vida." In our area a cellist plays on her porch for her neighbors. In another residents gather in the street to dance every afternoon at 5:00. Others are trying to cheer us up. Social media and inboxes are full of truly funny stuff from Carol Burnett's skit on toilet paper to a talking dog commenting on the virus. All of this helps, but we remain very worried. This is the new normal.